June 22, 1998

To:North York Community Council

From:Bryan Tuckey, Acting Commissioner of Planning

Subject:RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT - Official Plan and Zoning Amendment Application, Rowland Lincoln Mercury, South of Eglinton Avenue East and North of Jonesville Crescent, Ward 11 - Don Parkway, UDOZ-98-03

Purpose:

This report recommends the approval of the application to permit the construction of a motor vehicle dealership and a restaurant within the Ontario Hydro corridor that is located south of Eglinton Avenue East and north of Jonesville Crescent.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that the application be approved subject to the following conditions:

(1)The PUT official plan designation be amended to permit motor vehicle dealerships and restaurants.

(2)The zoning be amended to MC(H) (Industrial-Commercial Holding Zone) with the following exceptions:

(i)Permitted uses are: motor vehicle dealerships and restaurants;

(ii)Maximum gross floor area: 2,000 square metres.

(iii)Landscaping, fencing and temporary outside sales and display area performance standards need not apply for motor vehicle dealerships and restaurants.

(3)The applicant shall enter into an agreement with the City, as a condition of site plan approval, to protect for a 10m (33 ft) wide open space link through the lands. The preferred location for the open space link is adjacent to the Jonesville Crescent frontage. The open space link should ensure that any future bicycle and pedestrian trail that traverses this section of the Gatineau hydro corridor will be uninterrupted.

(4)Prior to final site plan approval, the applicant shall submit, or agree to submit prior to the issuance of a building permit, a record of site condition that is acknowledged by the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

(5)The site plan review and approval shall achieve the urban design objectives discussed in this report.

Council Reference/Background/History:

Proposal:

The application proposes official plan and zoning by-law amendments in order to permit the construction of a motor vehicle dealership and a restaurant within the Ontario Hydro corridor that is located south of Eglinton Avenue East and north of Jonesville Crescent (Schedule C). Ontario Hydro will retain ownership of the site, leasing the lands to Rowland Lincoln Mercury and, potentially, Tim Hortons. Rowland Lincoln Mercury wishes to relocate to the site from its present location at 1800 O'Connor Drive as shown at the bottom right-hand corner of Schedule B. A future car compound area for the dealership and a driveway access from Jonesville Crescent for the restaurant are also proposed and shown on Schedule C. The pertinent statistics are as follows:

Location and Existing Site:

The site consists of a triangular-shaped parcel of land that is located within the Ontario hydro corridor south of Eglinton Avenue East and north of Jonesville Crescent. The site forms part of the Gatineau transmission right-of-way and contains three hydro towers which are used for distribution of electricity.

Planning Controls:

Official Plan:

Public Utility (PUT) which permits utility and outdoor recreational uses (Schedule A).

Zoning:

Semi-public Open Space (O3) which permits public uses (Schedule B).

Trail Study Within Rail and Hydro Corridors:

On June 15, 1998 the Urban Environment and Development Committee (UEDC) recommended that Council endorse, in principle, developing trails in active and abandoned rail and hydro corridors subject to a multi-year implementation plan. UEDC also recommended that Council authorize the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services to protect opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian trails in rail and hydro corridors wherever possible through the development approval process.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Other Department Comments:

The following section summarizes the comments received from the departments and agencies circulated.

The Transportation Department reports that the surrounding road network can accommodate the traffic that will be generated by the proposal (Schedule F).

The Public Works Department describes the servicing parameters that are available and necessary to accommodate the proposal (Schedule G).

The Public Health Department has no objection to the proposal. The department has reviewed reports dealing with soil condition and electromagnetic field (EMF) matters and generally concurs with the consultant findings (Schedules H1 and H2).

The Parks and Recreation Department reports that the proposal will be subject to the City's cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication requirement (Schedule I).

Community Consultation:

A community consultation meeting was held on March 26, 1998. Traffic, noise and lighting infiltration into the adjacent residential neighbourhood are amongst the issues raised by residents. The issues are summarized in Schedule D and discussed in this report in the following sections and in Schedule E. Submissions that have been received from the community are also attached.

Planning Issues:

(a)Land Use:

The proposal to construct the motor vehicle dealership and restaurant along the Eglinton Avenue portion of the Gatineau hydro corridor illustrates how Ontario Hydro have been investigating opportunities to make better use of its hydro corridors. Hydro corridors offer an opportunity to achieve uninterrupted outdoor linkages and may be able to accommodate limited development provided it is compatible with adjacent land uses.

In principle, the proposal appears to be capable of achieving these opportunities given that the site has an arterial road frontage and is located in an area where a mix of uses cohabitate: light industrial, live-work, retail-commercial, recreational, institutional and low scale residential uses. The introduction of the dealership and restaurant uses along Eglinton Avenue is appropriate and should integrate in a compatible manner with the existing mix of surrounding land uses.

In order to enhance opportunities for uninterrupted outdoor linkages through the hydro corridor, such as a bicycle and pedestrian trail, it is recommended that the applicant enter into an agreement with the City, as a condition of site plan approval, to protect for a 10m (33 ft) wide open space link through the site. The open space link should ensure that any future trail that traverses this section of the Gatineau hydro corridor will be uninterrupted. This is consistent with the railway and hydro corridor trail study the City has undertaken which includes these lands within the inventory of potential trail sections.

The preferred location for the 10m wide trail is adjacent to the Jonesville Crescent frontage of the site. Locating the trail adjacent to Jonesville Crescent will introduce a significant landscape feature which will function as a prominent open space buffer for the adjacent residential area, particularly when combined with the Jonesville Crescent boulevard. The preferred location will also minimize the potential for conflict between trail users and vehicles travelling on the site because: it optimizes the separation between the open space function and the site development; and, it will direct trail users to an existing intersection.

(b)Urban Design:

The restaurant and motor vehicle dealership buildings are centrally located on the site with parking spaces and vehicle display areas being provided along the Eglinton Avenue frontage (Schedule C). To enhance the relationship of the buildings to Eglinton Avenue the applicant proposes landscaping, pedestrian connections and a decoratively paved court along the Eglinton Avenue frontage. The site plan should be refined in order to provide for an architectural element along the Eglinton Avenue frontage as well as a perimeter landscape treatment which includes an area of landscape emphasis at the northeast corner of the site (i.e., at the intersection of Eglinton and Jonesville). Opportunities will be investigated through the site plan approval process to encourage and achieve the following objectives:

(i)an architectural treatment which provides a strong streetscape definition, particularly along Eglinton Avenue;

(ii)an enhanced landscape buffer along the east periphery of the site including landscaped islands within the east periphery of the parking lot which fronts onto Jonesville Crescent. Particular attention should be given to incorporating a 10m wide open space link along the Jonesville Crescent frontage;

(iii)a site landscape treatment which achieves a continuous landscape treatment along the street frontages to screen the asphalt areas from the street and adjacent areas;

(iv)investigating opportunities to achieve an area of landscape emphasis (i.e., trees, shrubs, ground covers) at the corner of Eglinton Avenue East and Jonesville Crescent;

(v)a site and landscape treatment for the site and appropriate landscape treatment along the Eglinton Avenue and Jonesville Crescent frontages;

(vi)minimum dimensions of parking aisles, driveway and parking stalls in order to maximize landscape opportunities; and,

(vii)the technical requirements of the commenting departments and agencies.

(c)Environment:

The applicant has submitted environmental site assessments which assess the proposal in the context of the soil condition and electromagnetic field (EMF) environment. The site assessments conclude that the site will be suitable for the proposed land use. A record of site condition that attests to the suitability of the site to accommodate the proposal should be submitted prior to the issuance of a building permit.

(d)Transportation and Access:

Access to the site will be from Eglinton Avenue and Jonesville Crescent. While the traffic that will be generated from the proposal can be accommodated on the surrounding road network, some residents have raised the issue of traffic infiltration into the community, specifically relating to the test-driving of vehicles associated with the automobile dealership. As noted by the applicant (Schedule E), the proposal generates low volumes of traffic and includes the relocation of an existing dealership from 1800 O'Connor Drive which is located generally in the same neighbourhood as the site (bottom right-hand corner of Schedule B).

Conclusions:

The proposal to permit the construction of a motor vehicle dealership and restaurant within the hydro corridor is appropriate. The objective of an open space linkage (i.e., pedestrian and bicycle trail) through the corridor will be secured through the site plan process.

Contact Name:

Franco Romano, Senior Planner

Phone: 395-7119Fax: 395-7155

(Copies of attached schedules, are on file in the office of the City Clerk.)